Church building opening soon!

Dear friends,

It has been a long time since we saw each other in-the-flesh! These past months have been challenging in so many ways. I am grateful that we have continued on being the church of Jesus Christ through it all — reaching out with phone calls and cards, worshipping and learning and having fellowship through the internet, and supporting each other with various kinds of tangible help. Thank you for your faithfulness!

The building works that began last September are finally drawing to a conclusion, after more than a year that has included delays for lockdown and for intensely windy storms, and thousands of man-hours of work to restore and repair the stonework. The glorious new stained glass window has been installed, various repairs have been made in the sanctuary and the large hall, new screens have been fitted in the sanctuary to better enable our worship, the Loop system has been improved, and soon the bell will ring again. The organ has been serviced, the building has been professionally cleaned, and we are moving toward using our physical space for both worship and youth organisation

We are doing our best to ensure that it is safe to gather in the church building, which means that some things will be different. And, of course, if at any time the situation changes, we will respond appropriately. If you would like assistance in assessing your own risk status, we are enclosing a “score sheet” that the Church of Scotland has developed to help individuals discern what they feel comfortable doing. If you have any concerns about the safety of gathering in the building, please contact either me or Cameron.

We currently hope to have our first in-person Sunday worship service at 11am on Sunday 15 November.

Under the current guidelines, we can welcome 33 people into the sanctuary, plus the minister, organist, A/V operators, and people on door duty. If you would like to attend a service, you will need to phone ahead: you can call Cameron Melville on Mondays between 1-3pm (-630879-), or Anne Love on Saturdays between 10am-12noon (-07904.617283-) to book a place for the coming Sunday. When our capacity is reached, they will let you know and ask if you would like to be first on the list for the following week. If you book a place and then are not able to come after all, please contact Anne so she can offer the places to others who might be waiting.

Please bear in mind the regulations that help us keep each other safe. If you have been abroad in the past 14 days, if you are awaiting a test result or have been exposed to someone with Covid symptoms, or if you have any symptoms yourself, please join in our online or telephone recording service instead. Don’t hesitate to phone Anne and cancel a booking if you don’t feel well!

On Sundays, doors will open at 10:45. When you arrive, please enter on Bath Street unless you have specified when booking that you need step-free access. An elder will ask that you use hand sanitiser, check your details for Test and Protect (those sheets will be kept for four weeks and then destroyed), and then show you to your seat. There will be a one-way system in place in the sanctuary—the gallery will be closed—and we ask that you sit where the steward indicates, so that we can safely gather. If at any time you need to go out to the toilet, please note that only one person can be in the corridor/toilets at a time. If you feel unwell during the service, the person on duty by the side door will be able to assist.

The worship service itself will be shorter than usual, around half an hour, and will not include any singing, but we will include instrumental music, readings, prayers, a sermon, and perhaps some responses or some visual elements on the new screens. Children are welcome, though they will need to stay with you through the service rather than going out — but if they are present, we will have a moment just for them! No orders of service can be given out, and there are no hymn books or Bibles, everything will be on the screens, which are bright and sharp and far more readable than the old one! For the offering, we ask that everyone drop their envelopes into the plates at the entrance or exit, and/or speak to Peter about setting up a standing order for your spiritual practice of giving.

The same sermon and prayers will continue to be available online for those who do not yet feel comfortable joining in the sanctuary, so that we can encounter God’s word together as a community, though it will be posted slightly later, closer to the time when the in-person service happens rather than in the wee hours of the morning!

The audio recording of the online service will also continue to be available by phoning 270037, and those who wish to continue receiving a print version of the manuscript may do so.

At the end of the service, you’ll be guided out, and we ask that you please safely make your way home, rather than congregating in the grounds or the street.

A face covering must be worn at all times in the building, and because we need to have some fresh air ventilation, I suggest wearing a warm coat! We also ask that everyone take care to maintain appropriate physical distance. It goes against the grain to stand apart and to not be able to chat and hug and shake hands and share a coffee, but right now the best way we can love our neighbour is by protecting each other!

We will be looking for volunteers willing to help with Sunday door duty and volunteers to join the cleaning team that cleans the sanctuary during the day on Thursdays (the sanctuary will be closed for 72 hours after worship so that it’ll be safe for the cleaning volunteers). If you are willing to help out, please let Anne Love know. All cleaning will of course be carried out in compliance with the regulations on the number of people that can meet up, etc, and PPE and cleaning supplies will be provided.

I know it sounds like a lot to remember and a very different experience. I trust that we will be able to worship God, love our neighbour, and enjoy being together even in this very different and careful way. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and we will praise God and pray together. I look forward to being with you, whether you choose to come in person or join in online.

Take care, love God and love your neighbour, and peace be with you!

peace,

Teri